Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Deficiency Common of a Very Important Omega-6
- What is Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA)?
- Conditions Under Which GLA Deficiency Occurs
- Common Conditions from Gamma Linolenic Acid Deficiency
- Preformed Gamma Linolenic Acid Sources
- Which GLA Source is Best?
- How Much GLA to Take?
- Gamma Linolenic Acid Increases Metabolism
- Harness the Power of Brown Fat
Most people today, health buffs or not, are deficient in gamma linolenic acid, a critical omega-6 fat that is frequently overlooked particularly by those seeking to lose weight and reduce inflammation.
While other healthy lipids such as weight loss boosting coconut oil and muscle-building conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) get all the headlines and attention, gamma linolenic acid (GLA) gets little to no kudos and yet is just as vitally important!
Deficiency Common of a Very Important Omega-6
Even more ironic is that a hallmark of the Western Diet is excessive consumption of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats usually in the form of processed foods cooked or fried in cheap, rancid and frequently genetically modified (GMO) vegetable oils. Even when the sources of these omega-6 fats are whole foods, however, moderate to severe deficiencies of gamma linolenic acid persists even among the seemingly healthy.
The imbalanced intake of fats in the modern diet contributes greatly to the development of a wide variety of inflammatory conditions, weight gain, and overall ill health. Most of the chronic diseases of today, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. have an inflammatory component.
While intake of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats (think salmon, flax seeds, and cod liver oil) to counterbalance the ratio of omega-6 consumption definitely help resolve the problem, it doesn’t solve it entirely.
This is because the frequently overlooked anti-inflammatory properties of gamma linolenic acid have a very important role to play in human health beyond what omega-3 fats have to offer.
What’s more, a nutrient-rich diet that carefully maintains an ideal 1:1 ratio of omega-3 fats to omega-6 fats like ancestral cultures won’t remedy this situation on its own.
What is Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA)?
In a normal metabolic situation, gamma linolenic acid is produced by the body from the omega-6 fat linoleic acid. The enzyme delta-6-desaturase (D6D) is responsible for the conversion.
The problem is that most people today are experiencing far from a normal metabolic situation!
As mentioned earlier, linoleic acid (LA) or omega-6 polyunsaturated fats are consumed to excess in most people’s diets. Despite this, a deficiency of GLA can easily occur if the D6D enzyme conversion is inefficient of nonexistent.
As it turns out, this happens quite frequently as discussed below.
Conditions Under Which GLA Deficiency Occurs
A number of factors can easily inhibit the body’s conversion of linoleic acid (LA) to gamma linolenic acid even when plenty of LA is present in the diet. These conditions include:
- Overconsumption of sugar and refined grains
- Insulin resistance or diabetes
- Thyroid problems
- Pituitary problems
- Tendency to overeat or being overweight
- Consumption of trans fatty acids
- Overconsumption of alcohol
- Deficiencies of protein, zinc, biotin, B6, B12 and vitamin E
- Being vegan
- Stress
- Age (the older we get, the less we make this conversion easily)
As if this list wasn’t enough to include nearly everyone today, there are those who are genetically unable to make the conversion. These individuals are called “obligate carnivores” by researchers. Usually, these individuals have ancestors who consumed lots of preformed D6D metabolites in the form of organ meats and fish.
Societies following a carnivore diet such as the Eskimos or Maasai would be populations particularly prone to GLA deficiency due to hereditary factors.
Common Conditions from Gamma Linolenic Acid Deficiency
Gamma linolenic acid deficiency is far more common than believed today. Unfortunately, it is one of the last things practitioners consider or test for when any of the problems below manifest:
- Premature aging
- IBS
- Cirrhosis of the liver
- Eczema
- Acne
- Allergies
- Keratosis Pilaris (small, colorless bumps on upper arms or legs)
- PMS and other monthly problems like heavy menstrual bleeding
- Noncancerous breast disease
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Alcoholism
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Inflammatory conditions of all kinds
I can attest to the wonders of resolving a gamma linolenic deficiency when nothing makes sense or seems to work. All three of my children, for example, had keratosis pilaris as toddlers. Nothing helped the situation much except supplementation with gamma linolenic acid (we used borage oil capsules). Now that they are older, they no longer require it, which leads me to think that it may take some time for children to produce the D6D enzyme on their own. While I have not come across any research to this effect, certainly in my own family, early supplementation with GLA proved beneficial until early adolescence was reached.
Preformed Gamma Linolenic Acid Sources
If you suspect that lack of gamma linolenic acid may be the cause of your health issues too, there are two solutions.
First, consume more organ meats such as liver, as these traditional foods contain preformed D6D to fill the gap where your body isn’t creating this enzyme itself for whatever reason. Organ meats also contain small amounts of GLA. Consumption of D6D metabolites allows your body to synthesize the GLA that you need from the likely plentiful omega-6 fats in your diet.
The second alternative is to consume gamma linolenic acid directly. Unfortunately, there are not many foods that contain preformed GLA. These seed oils contain the most as a percentage:
- Borage Oil – 20-24% GLA
- Black Currant Oil – 17% GLA
- Evening Primrose Oil – 10% GLA
- Hemp Seed Oil – 3% GLA
Which GLA Source is Best?
So which of these seed oils is best? Let’s find out by process of elimination.
I would not recommend hemp seed oil for two reasons. It is comparatively low in GLA, and there is no evidence historically that humans ever consumed this oil or valued it for health reasons. That right there is a strike-out for me.
I also would not recommend evening primrose oil as it is an estrogenic food that can cause breakthrough bleeding not associated with menstruation and contribute to precancerous breasts.
This leaves borage oil and black currant oil. We have used both in our home over the years and they have produced equally excellent results. On the positive side, borage oil contains more GLA per dose than black currant oil, so you need to take less of it to achieve a therapeutic dose. However, borage oil does cause gastrointestinal upset in some folks, so if you experience this, switch to black currant oil. These capsules are a quality source.
As with any whole food, take with or after a meal to minimize any digestive discomfort.
How Much GLA to Take?
The good news is that you don’t have to take much gamma linolenic acid to achieve fantastic results. In the case of my children and keratosis pilaris, half to a full 1000 mg borage oil capsule (containing 220 mg GLA) each day was plenty. Since they were young and didn’t easily swallow pills yet, I would just slice open a capsule of borage oil with a knife and squeeze the oil onto a spoon. The oil has a mild taste, so it was well tolerated and easy to swallow.
For older children and adults, the recommended dose of GLA ranges from 300 up to 2,000 milligrams per day for severe deficiency states. In most cases, taking a couple of capsules for a total of about 300 mg GLA per day is sufficient. A split dosage with half in the morning and half in the evening produces the best results. Dr. Weil MD suggests a split dose of 500 mg morning and evening (this would be about 2 capsules morning and another 2 in the evening). He says to expect 6-8 weeks to see results particularly if you are taking GLA to resolve hair, skin, or nail problems (1).
According to the Penn State University Hershey Medical Center, speak with your practitioner to be sure of your individual dosage, and do not exceed 3000 mg/day (2).
Gamma Linolenic Acid Increases Metabolism
While coconut oil and CLA tend to get all the attention as the healthy fats that help weight loss and boost muscle mass, the truth is that gamma linolenic acid is a player too!
GLA works to trigger fat flushing by boosting the metabolism in a very unique way. The process involves stimulation of “brown fat” which increases energy expenditure. This is the type of fat that is usually dormant in overweight people.
Brown fat is also more prevalent in young people and women (this is our secret weapon ladies!). Women with a lower body-mass index tend to have higher levels of metabolically active brown fat.
Human fat consists of white and brown adipose tissue. Most fat is energy-storing white fat, however, even small amounts of brown fat can help induce weight loss through an increase in energy expenditure. The darker color that characterizes brown fat is due to the greater number of mitochondria, which if you remember from high school biology, is the “powerhouse” of the cell. While white fat is the kind that you see on your waistline, thighs and other parts of the body, brown fat is hidden from view. It is located by the organs where it provides padding and protection. It is also safeguards areas surrounding the neck and spine.
Harness the Power of Brown Fat
Here’s how you can harness the power of brown fat to help you lose weight faster according to Ann Louise Gittleman, author of Eat Fat, Lose Weight:
Activating brown adipose tissue—which may amount to as much as 30 to 40 percent of total body mass in some people—can make the battle of the bulge considerably easier. The good news is we don’t have to wait for Big Pharma to develop a drug to stimulate this kind of weight loss.
Back in the 1980s, researchers at the University of Montreal found that gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is a safe, natural way to stimulate brown fat activity and burn calories. Even people who had been unable to lose weight with other methods lost on average a pound a week with brown-fat burning GLA.
Thanks to the pioneering research of the late David Horrobin, we now know that omega-6-rich GLA also fights inflammatory diseases like arthritis, helps relieve PMS, and is terrific for your skin (2).
Are you frustrated by attempts at using healthy fats to heal with mixed results? If so, it is possible that gamma linolenic acid is an important and missing piece of the puzzle. Note that it takes 3-6 weeks of supplementation to notice the full benefits. Add this crucial fatty acid to your diet and see if you discover, like I was shocked to see, that I was actually deficient despite a healthy traditional diet.
References
You embedded a link for black currant oil to take along with the coconut oil. You suggest taking 2 times a day, how many mg per serving is best? You state 300 -500 mg a day, but the capsules that you have the link for are 1000mg per serving. Please let me know what works best
Here’s the catch … the capsules are 1000 mg capsules BUT the amount of GLA in each one is much less. There are other fats in black currant oil besides GLA. That is why you need to take 2 – 1000 mg capsules per day to get within the 300-500 mg range of GLA consumed. Hope that helps explain it better 🙂
Great info on GLA and weight loss. In an unrelated side note, I came to appreciate GLA because I developed a dry eye condition that I had never experienced before. My left became red and I experienced foreign body sensation in that eye and inflammation of the eyelid as well because the lipid layer in my eye literally dried up because of insufficient tear production. I know now I developed the dry eye condition due to dehydration resulting from an extremely poor diet and too much alcohol consumption, coupled with inadequate water intake. As soon as I started taking GLA, my eye health was restored because GLA helps reduce inflammation and encourages adequate tear production. It was literally miraculous in that I noticed improvement overnight. My dry eye condition was resolved and I continue taking GLA in addition to getting back on the wagon by eating healthy and exercising so as to lose weight.
First of all, thanks for this article. second thing, I wonder if I used the gla pills, how much weight I can lose if I’m doing 75 mins exercises daily ?!
No idea. SO MANY factors go into weight loss. It will vary person to person.
How much weight can be lost if exercising for 30 min a day and using the gla pills?
Well, it really depends on how much you are eating, what type of exercise you are doing (high intensity is more effective for weight loss than cardio) and what your metabolism is like. Many complicating factors! Suffice it to say that the GLA pills will help the process proceed more quickly.
Alison B – are you bothered by pork products? These capsules say gelatin which is usually from pork and that would affect me. I have to avoid any milk or pork derivative due to digestive upset even in the small pill quantities.
Hi, I just wanted to comment on the information given here regarding evening primrose oil. Evening primrose oil is estrogenic, but as such can be very helpful tool for some women. I am a holistic nutritionist, and primarily work with couples fighting infertility, and women struggling with hormonal imbalance. Many people fear estrogenic foods and supplements, which is understandable given how many estrogens we come into contact with in our day. But many people confuse estrogen excess relative to progesterone levels, and having general estrogen excess at all times. I have seen many, many women who have been told to avoid things such as evening primrose oil, because they were diagnosed as having excess estrogen, when in reality they suffered from low estrogen before they ovulated, which in turn created a situation of low progesterone — this leads to the women having excess estrogen in relation to progesterone levels, *but these women still have actual low estrogen levels*. For women such as these, evening primrose oil is a brilliant therapeutic tool when taken in the right dose during the first half of their cycle. It promotes healthy ovulation, which in turn balances estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen primes the body to ovulate, and that is the only way for a woman to make progesterone.
So while EPO is estrogenic, I wouldn’t recommended it for men or boys, it shouldn’t be relegated to the “never use ever” list either. Not all exogenous estrogens are bad, in fact, it would do us well to remember that a great many vegetables have weak phytoestrogens. Though we believe in eating meat, organ meats, and plenty of saturated fats, we do believe in eating plenty of good organic vegetables as well. We can’t avoid all phytoestrogens, and we shouldn’t avoid weak ones (I’m not referring to soy here, I’m talking about vegetables like carrots). Weak phytoestrogens actually bind to estrogen receptors in our bodies, and protect us from the much stronger man made estrogens that are running loose in the world. This is one reason weak plant estrogens can help restore natural hormonal balance in women.
Dr. Lara Briden has written on the subject of phytoestrogens. Her thoughts are very much in line with WAPF teachings as well. I refer women to her book often.
Cheers, and thanks for the otherwise fantastic article!
Awesome info, Melissa. I appreciate your input as I am also a holistic nutritionist and am always looking for tidbits and pieces of info to put in my mental file cabinet. This article by Sarah is outstanding.
What about animals? Two of my cats are suffering with dry, itchy skin and hair loss. The vet has no answers. I have tried to supplement their diet with tuna packed in olive oil, but it’s not helping.
I would like to add a warning note here. After reading this article, I tried borage oil. The intestinal side effects were so gross, disturbing, and painful that I had to give up after ten days or so. These effects occurred after every single dose. I switched to blackcurrant oil. The problem was much less severe, but still meant that going out in public was not a good idea, if you know what I mean.
I tried these oils because I’ve had a lifelong aversion to liver and other organ meats. Admittedly I am prone to GI side effects of anything, but cannot be the only person with this problem, so think it worth mentioning. I guess the next step is to look for dessicated liver pills?
Honestly, I would consult a holistic practitioner about your problem. I don’t think this is normal unless you were taking mega doses. You only need small amounts of these oils to derive benefit. Perhaps if you mixed them with your salad dressing or something like that and be sure to take with a meal.
This is a great article, thank you!! I am 17 weeks pregnant and still breastfeeding a toddler, would there be any issue taking borage oil or black currant oil now or do I need to wait until I’m done with either/both? I know evening primrose softens the cervix, which I don’t want anytime soon! Just curious if borage or black currant oil have any side effects. Thank you!
Not for pregnancy … best to rely on organic grassfed organ meats like liver at that time for GLA needs as outlined by the guidelines for pregnancy diet on the WAPF website (westonaprice.org). It is ok for breastfeeding (double check with your practitioner to be sure and what dosage would be right for you) and may help your baby avoid eczema issues which so many babies and toddlers seem to be having problems with today.
Thank you for talking about your family’s personal experience with keratosis pilaris. I’ve taken my son (age 4) to two different doctors both of whom independently diagnosed him with KP and we received the predictable “just dry skin -nothing you can do about it” talk. I am going to give the borage oil a try. On a separate note, Do you have any insight on the accuracy of IgG blood tests? My son had one and I’ve since read some articles online that make me skeptical. As always, thank you!
When you hear the phrase “nothing you can do about it” from an MD, my advice is RUN! This is a clear sign of an “in the box”, “I only know about drugs and surgery” doctor. Good doctors ALWAYS know about alternative and nutritional approaches to resolve a problem and will willingly address this with their patients.
Thank you, Sarah. You’re spot on. I am “running”! 🙂 hence the reason why we’ve seen multiple doctors. So frustrating, but I will press on. Also, that’s the reason I was curious whether you’ve had any experience or researched IgG testing as I am reading conflicting information on the validity of the results and I feel like I’m wading through this challenge alone with zero experts on my side.
I have not researched this enough to comment on it Stacy. Let me know what you find out!